The market · Liqueurs and bitters · Southern Europe, The Americas

Fernet

The bitterest, least sweet end of amaro: minty, medicinal and herbal. Fernet-Branca from Milan is the one most people mean.

menthol · medicinal · very bitter

What to do with it

Rosa Ibarra's Clarified milk punch, mezcal and pineappleFernet would temper its sweetnessKenji Hara's Milk punch, with hojichaFernet would temper its sweetness

Goes with

colasweet vermouthlondon dry ginginger ale

Knowing it

Where to buy
Fernet-Branca is the benchmark; Branca Menta is the sweeter, mint-heavy version.
A little history
Hugely popular in Argentina, where fernet with cola is close to a national drink.
Worth knowing
Use it like bitters — a barspoon at a time. Two dashes in a gin and sweet vermouth drink (the Hanky Panky) is the classic proportion.

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